How to Be a Vampire, and Other Life Lessons
by SaintAugustana
Summary: Dimitri Denatos - hunter, hunted, discovers a wayward child living in his mansion when he returns from vacation. How will he handle it? Warnings for cp/spanking/corporal punishment of a minor.
1. Univited

**Chapter 1 – Uninvited **

The last thing a vampire expects to come home to after a bloody good vacation is someone lurking about his mansion, and not simply because of the irony. Still, _someone, _someone about to be made hapless by the wrath of Dimitri Denatos, had obviously made themselves cozy.

Clambering gracefully out of his sanguine Porsche Dimitri resisted slamming the door out of sheer aggravation. Humans were such an impolite lot, never asking for permission before snatching up things that didn't belong to them. As he sidled silently up the pristine stone steps to his back door he wondered what brand of these incorrigible creatures he might discover. A homeless squatter, perhaps? A rowdy bunch of gangbangers holding initiation rituals in his parlor? A party of trick-or-treaters out on a dare? He sighed, remembering the pact he made with himself a few decades back never to be out of town during Halloween. Once he came back from an extended stay in Venice to find his beautiful hideaway decorated up with plastic skeletons and strobe lights.

Those particular perpetrators never lived it down.

Whoever the vagabond was, they had lit a fire in the hearth. The merry crackles tinged his ears from beneath the stairs and he crept slowly up the winding wooden case.

When he reached the landing to the stuffily decorated parlor, he noticed immediately his most comfortable wingback had been pushed up before the fireplace and housed a rather large lump of something underneath a blanket. It didn't appear to be breathing, so he stepped up behind the chair and reached down, allowing his hand to hover for a moment over the covers before ripping them away to reveal... two velvet throw pillows, stacked hastily atop one another.

Snarling, he pivoted, the smell of human assaulting his sinuses. Something flashed through the shadows in the hallway, illuminated for a split second in the moonlit window before disappearing over the railing of the stairs. He pursued, but the little blur flung the back door open and barreled into the gravel driveway, crashing and stumbling against his precious sports car before making a break for the ominous black gate. Dimitri watched momentarily from the door frame. It appeared to be a child, probably running for it's life toward some distant shrubbery, behind whose leafy curtain a few more miscreants watched in amused horror.

Well, he was going to teach them a lesson, he was.

Before the kid reached the gate he burst into that lightening run and appeared before it. She collided with his chest and flew backward into the harsh ground with a unpleasant thud and skidding of gravel beneath ragged denim and worn trainers. Her utterly frightened expression immediately struck Dimitri's as that of a rabbit when a fox gave chase. She rolled over and ran in the opposite direction.

Down the steps of the side yard, toward the dock.

Dimitri strolled purposefully after, knowing she had no where to go, and almost disappointed at the prospect of losing his prey to the water. Vampires couldn't cross running water without external transportation devices. It was just fact. It burned him up inside, but it was just a fact of life. Or lack thereof.

He focused his attention back on the girl. She had come to a halt at the end of the pier and was peering over at the pitch black pool beneath her feet. Her breaths swung heavy, resonated against his eardrums. He could almost feel his pupils dilating.

Terrified, she turned violently and saw him there. She backed up, feeling empty air beneath her heels.

Dimitri cocked his head and tried to ignore the rumbling in his gut. Maybe it was time to switch tactics.

"Come on. I won't hurt you."

She seemed further discomforted to hear him speak and it did nothing to improve the situation for either of them.

"I-I didn't mean to use your house," she pleaded. "I thought it was empty."

_Foolish, stupid human. _"What makes you think a house full of furniture and wood in the fireplace is _empty?"_ Dimitri couldn't keep the sarcasm from dripping off his tongue.

She swallowed. "There was no food. And there's a...a... coffin." She swallowed again. Audibly.

Dimitri stiffened. If she had done something to his coffin he might be done for. He tried to stay cool, and held out his hand with an offer to take her inside and another promise not to bring her harm, but as he advanced it must have given her a start because she tumbled off the edge of the wooden platform.

He rushed to the end of the dock just in time to see her flailing arms dip beneath the surface.

_Christ. _

Suddenly, she surfaced, still flailing like a madman. He gaged the distance as too long for his reach and briefly examined the logical options. One, she would sink, then drown, and good riddance. Two, she would sink and drown and he'd have to go into town for a midnight snack. Three, he could save her, lock her in the basement, and worry about the particulars of dessert after he'd unpacked.

Option Three was definitely more appetizing. He grabbed a sturdy branch and waited for the kid to resurface.

When she didn't, he noticed a strange sensation rising in his gut. It prickled and swelled. Was it panic?

Dismissing such an outlandish notion, he stripped off his dinner jacket, loosened his tie, and in full realization he was probably going to regret the next few seconds later, he reeled forward on his haunches and tipped himself into the chilly water.

She was unconscious, hovering over the pebbly bottom about five feet down. He dove under and reached beneath her small arms, pulling her to the surface and pacing through the murky water onto higher ground. He rolled her onto the dock and used his arms to push his body over before they crumpled beneath him. Significantly weakened, he struggled to her side and pushed her onto her back, brushing the sopping mop of dark hair back and debating. She wasn't breathing. She'd be dead in a few minutes, and would spoil soon afterward. But if he did it now much of his strength would return, only he wouldn't be able to savor the moment like he could if he were healthy. But without blood, he was close to unconsciousness himself.

Resolved, he leaned in and opened his mouth.


	2. Predicament

**Chapter 2 - Predicament**

Dimitri didn't even bother returning the wingback to its rightful place between the walnut credenza and the cushioned ottoman before collapsing into it, unfeeling to the fire's warmth bathing his body in a faint orange glow. A mouse skittered rapidly across the stone hearth, and he watched it disappear into a dark corner. Perhaps he had been away too long.

He loosened the lingering knot in his tie and pulled the strip of fabric from his collar.

The grandfather clock in the downstairs hall struck a tone that reverberated against the walls of the mansion, mingling with the wind echoing through the dark rooms and the scratches of tree branches against ancient windowpanes, and the redundancy of it all made Dimitri wonder if he had done what was best.

He sighed and slid out of the chair, suddenly frustrated with himself for once again dwelling on the things he couldn't change. Still, he couldn't shake the sight of that little body lying on the floor of his basement.

He swept downstairs and poured himself a glass of his strongest scotch, the taste of which he'd long since lost to his condition but the effect of which was still potent enough to distract his thoughts from those unsavory notions.

What was he supposed to do now? He pushed the glass across the dusty counter and carded a hand through his damp hair. Would anyone come looking for her? What was she doing in his house to begin with? It was her fault, really, the little hooligan. She shouldn't have taken the liberty of barging in like that. How rude.

Dimitri exhaled deeply and took another swig of scotch.

It wasn't as though anyone frequented his abode, so he wasn't terribly concerned she might be discovered, but if someone missed the little gremlin enough to come looking...

He coughed into his sleeve.

And besides that, what was he supposed to do with her? It's not like could just walk into town and leave her somewhere.

Irked to the end, Dimitri growled and slammed his fist against the marble countertop, burying his face in his hands to curse himself in private silence. This is why he tried to stay away from children. Sure, he'd take their mothers away, but the children he always left. Cruel, though it was, to have them off all alone and fending for themselves, it was the duty [and pleasure] of surviving. He wouldn't lie, no, and say he didn't enjoy it.

In fact, he supposed he'd never given them a passing thought, all the children he'd orphaned.

Other than vowing not to kill them. Killing children was different than killing adults. That was heinous, despicable.

He wasn't ready for that, but it may have occurred to him the only option at the time.

The vampire cocked his head suddenly to the sound of glass breaking somewhere beneath him.

He abandoned his empty cup to the counter and made purposeful strides through the narrow foyer and into the dimly candlelit basement. Moonlight cast a pale beam of light against the stone wall, illuminating his silhouette as he eased himself down the rickety wooden steps and through rows of dusty wine bottles.

She had rolled over in her fight to regain consciousness. Dimitri pushed his hands into his pockets and watched as she groaned and blearily opened her eyes, the glassy orbs a crimson brown in the poor lighting.


	3. Introductions

**Chapter 3 - Introductions**

With all the grace of lumbering elephant, she fell back against her elbows, kicking up more dirt from the floor.

When the smoke cleared, a gasp escaped her throat and she scuttled back fearfully, grabbing hold of a wooden shelf and pulling herself shakily to her feet.

"Where am I?"

Dimitri sighed. Always the stupid questions. _Where am I? What are you doing? Are you going to kill me_? Of course not, we're about to go on a lovely picnic. I figured we'd start with a tour of the house. Welcome to the basement.

He stepped forward.

"Don't! Don't... don't come any closer," she trembled, quickly snatching a bottle of wine and raising it awkwardly.

"Oh, please. Could you at least pick something with a little less age? That's a mint Crown Royal."

"Let me out. I won't come back. Let me out."

Dimitri clicked his tongue. "Well, I'm terribly sorry about this, my child, but you aren't going anywhere."

"I swear I won't come back! I'm sorry, I was just... lost, and-" she began to tear up. The vampire grimaced.

"No, don't, don't cry," he pleaded caustically. "Christ. No, you're quite stuck where you are, at least for the time being." He quickly advanced and tugged the Crown Royal from her hands and replaced it neatly upon the shelf. When he turned around, the girl had retreated frightfully to another corner of the room and was flattened against the wall, eyes as big as dinner plates, glancing between him and the stairs.

He gave her kind of a cryptic look, almost daring her to try it.

Of course, stupid human, she did so, but he was there in a flash, and the door swung shut so hard dust rose from the jamb. Now, in addition to being locked in a stranger's basement, she was also pinned in the narrow hole between him and three immovable walls. She crumpled to the floor and put her hands around her head.

Dimitri leaned his hands against the walls, encroaching even further into the tiny space as he leaned down. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

Before he could react, a fist flew out from the trembling lump and struck him right between the legs. The kid shot through them, tumbling back into the center of the dirt floor and scrambling up a wine rack, trying to reach the narrow, rectangular window. Growling, Dimitri shook off the momentary burst of pain and lunged forward, grabbing her round the ankle and yanking her down. She kicked and screamed and punched and clawed and even aimed a bite at his forearm, but he had her by the collar and pinned her to the cold floor.

He leaned close, snarling ferally. Suddenly, she was still, quite petrified.

"You little bastard," he snapped. "I _ought_ to kill you."

She didn't respond, but something in her eyes seemed to soften, like an understanding, perhaps. She searched his face up and down, her adam's apple slipping against his forearm pinned to her neck.

"I, I... remember..." she choked. "The w-water. You pulled me out and... you..." Her eyes went wide as they found his two long, pearly whites. "You're a... a..."

Dimitri's arm slid dangerously upward. "A _what_?"

The gagged, struggling to breathe properly. "A v- v..."

"SAY IT!"

"Vampire." She whispered. "And you... you bit me! I remember, I can't... I can't remember!" She squirmed pitifully. "I... I..."

"You were unconscious, you simpering child. How can you remember anything?"

"I saw you close. Your teeth... you bit me! Argh, let me go!"

He did so and she scrambled to her feet, gripping her neck all around, searching for the would. Dimitri remained on the floor, taking the moment to regain some self-control. It was almost crushing, watching that kid shuffle about the room, terrified, searching for things that couldn't be found. And for a moment, he began to wonder about what really brought her around in the first place. Who did she belong to?

"Am I going to die?" For the first time, she actually approached _him._

Dimitri thought a moment. "Did you find a _wound_?"

"No, but... they... they heal fast, right?"

The vampire in Dimitri was thoroughly put off. What were they teaching children these days?"

"I didn't _bite _you, you ignorant girl. I saved your life."

She was utterly horrified. "You mean, I'm... I'm going to be a..."

"Going to be a what? A continuously annoying burden on my valuable time? Most certainly, but let me tell _you_, little miss," he got to his feet and straightened up, "being a vampire takes a skill _you_ do not possess. What are you? Ten?"

"I'm twelve!" She retorted boldly, puffing up.

Dimitri scoffed. "Pathetic. Ten was a generous guess. And I didn't _bite _you. As you were choking on your own saliva I administered the CPR that saved your life."

"You... saved me?"

"Yes, and the the moment I'm quite regretting it so why don't you shut that mouth of yours and let me think."

"You saved me."

Dimitri turned away, pressing a thumb to his lips in thought. A shuffling behind him caused him to pivot, and in a half-seconds notice, he took a shovel to the head.


	4. Embry

**Chapter 4 - Embry**

Dimitri awoke on the floor of his basement as a recollection of previous events began to mingle with his feverish dreams and rouse him to consciousness. A barrage of the usual curses used to describe situations like raced through his head, even those he normally reserved exclusively for Malachi Van Helsing. Grateful though he was to not be dispatched by his archenemy, he was beyond angry at being bested by a mere child.

Well, at least she was gone. Most likely she'd spread the dirt around, but no one would believe her monster stories. And if anyone did happen to come looking, he knew what to do. It'd be a problem if bodies started stacking up, but he could always relocate. He did that every few years to avoid suspicion about his apparent lack of aging. And Montenegro was pleasant this season.

He hobbled gingerly toward the steps, fingering the side of his head that had been decked by the shovel.

There was no cut now, but he felt a smooth liquid dripping down. Pulling the fingers away and into the light, he saw they were coated in a brownish ooze. He hadn't been out very long, but he hadn't fed in over twenty-four hours. Daylight streamed through the window. He dodged its beam and headed up the stairs into the kitchen, going straight for the half-finished bottle of scotch and pouring himself a glass.

He swirled the liquid arrestingly and downed a gulp.

When the glass came down, there was the child before him, standing just beyond the archway in the center of his parlor.

"You should have left when you had the chance."

She hesitated. "I thought about it."

"And?" He demanded.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry I hit you."

"Which time?" He retorted sarcastically.

She swallowed, but nodded quickly.

"I don't care where you go. Just go."

Licking her lips in trepidation, she edged to the opposite side of the kitchen counter and folded her arms upon its surface. Dimitri leaned back, not failing to notice the bruises and scabs upon her elbows and arms and layers of smudged dirt cake across her face and fingernails. "Why did you save me?"

"Maybe I wanted to keep you around if I'm ever in need of a midnight _snack_," he growled suddenly, making her jump back. He grinned smugly.

"If you were going to kill me you would have done it when I found out what you were."

"Bold accusation, given the position you're in," he leveled dangerously, stepping around the island. She retreated slowly, quivering fists closing around the hilt of the shovel. She'd brought it in and leaned it against the wall.

"What position?"

_T__ouché. _Truthfully, he hadn't any clue of the "position" she was in. Or the position he was in, for that matter.

"You're filthy," he chided, changing the subject.

She glanced down at her faded t-shirt and dirty palms, as if she had just become aware they were anything but clean. She licked her chapped lips and looked up with big, green eyes.

"So?" She retorted.

Abruptly, Dimitri felt a ripple of hunger once more. Truly, he had to feed or he would become crazed and insatiable. "I must step out for a few moments," he ordained suddenly. "I would ask you to make yourself right at home, but that seems redundant, so I'll only add that if I find you here when I return I will be expecting some answers, so you might want to capitalize on this opportunity to save us both a lot of trouble."

And without further word, he swept out of the darkening room.

Dimitri added a smidgen of cinnamon to the mug of milk and after warming it against the fire, passed it into the child's waiting hands. She crossed her legs and leaned comfortably into her plush wingback. Dimitri simply watched, one finger tracing his lips.

"What's your name?" The vampire inquired. It seemed like a good place to start.

She licked a milky mustache from beneath her nose. "What's yours?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second."

"Don't think I won't lock you in the basement to rot."

"It's Embry."

"Embry?" he couldn't help but grimace.

She scowled. "What's wrong with it? What's yours?"

He inflated defensively. "I'll have you know that I come from a long line of proud bearers of my namesake."

The girl raised an eyebrow over the rim of her mug. The vampire rolled his eyes and leaned back against the arm of his chair. "Dimitri."

She snickered quietly.

"What was that?" he dared.

She quickly swallowed it back. "That's what I thought."

Embry smiled.


	5. Trouble

**Chapter 5 - Trouble**

As Dimitri gathered things into a shopping cart, he tried to gather input from his ward. How was he to know what humans ate or didn't eat? They certainly didn't have all these things last time he ingested something actually meant to be consumed. She'd requested Twinkies and Lucky Charms. Why did she need a lucky charm, and what the hell was a twinkie? He'd been to this grocery store a thousand times in search of prey, but the shopping itself had always been a farce. He just grabbed items as needed to start conversations with lovely women.

Just as unfortunately, she wasn't being of great help. Embry flounced around the store, happy to be out of the house for a while. She took multiples of all the free samples and knocked into a couple of other customers in the process.

Dimitri pulled her close and bent down.

"That's enough. Stay close to me or I'm sending you out to the car and you get nothing but what I decide to buy, and I promise I'll look for the most unpleasant things I can find."

Embry nodded and tugged away, straying off just close enough to be where Dimitri still considered her near him, but just far enough to be testing the boundary. He sighed internally and the pressed on.

After what seemed an eternity [a concept he was very familiar with, or so he thought], they made it to the register. Dimitri pulled a dusty bill from his wallet to pay. Embry hovered close, glancing at the door, curiously anxious.

Suddenly, a darkly-clad man stepped up. Emblazoned on the front of his navy tee was the word Security.

Dimitri looked up. "Is there some sort of problem?"

"My apologies, sir, but your daughter has some things that don't belong to her."

"Excuse me?" He turned to Embry, who glanced back unshaken.

"In her back pocket," the guard returned. "You can check or I can, but it's all on tape."

Other customers were beginning to stare. Dimitri felt their eyes in the back of his skull and so he pulled Embry aside. The guard followed.

"Well, turn out your pockets."

"What?" she protested. "You believe him?"

He remained calm. "Don't make me ask you again."

"I ain't got nothing!" she snapped.

Fed up, Dimitri gripped her bicep and pulled her forward, reaching into her back pocket and withdrawing a pack of trading cards and a few sticks of gum. He seemed utterly perplexed by the insignificance of these items in relation to convicting a crime and yet, she had done so and lied blatantly to his face about it. Shoving the merchandise into the plump hands of the guard he straightened up and gave her backside three sharp swats. She cried out in protest, using her free hand to cover the spot. This was the first time he'd ever put a hand on her.

"Is there anything else?" Dimitri glared deeply at the guard. His eyes went cloudy and he shrugged off. "You little rat, how dare you try to steal," Dimitri snarled, turning back to Embry. "You just wait 'til we get home, young lady, you'll wish you'd never been born."

**A/N: POV Shift.**

**Embry**

While Dimitri was busy unloading the groceries from the back of the Porsche I fled to my bedroom. I thought briefly about climbing out of the window, but as the driveway was just below I wouldn't be able to flee unnoticed. Of course, as I milled about, I realized I wasn't sure what I was fleeing from – I knew Dimitri was angry: he'd never hit me before. I'd heard of kids getting spankings from their parents, but he wouldn't, would he? He wasn't my father. Was that a spanking, those three swats?

"Embry!" He shouted from below, startling me. "Put your nightclothes on and meet me in the parlor in ten minutes! Lord help you if I have to fetch you myself."

I swallowed. Nothing to do but obey. I went to my drawers, rifling for pajamas when a thought struck me. In case he did decide to hit me again, I ought to be prepared. I put on underwear, boxers, then shorts, and, feeling chilly, pulled on a sweatshirt. I went to my nightstand and found an old magazine I'd been reading and shoved it into the seat of my pants. I saw that in a movie once.

Went I went downstairs he was there, settled into the couch with an old book. I thought once more about running, but instead stepped out of the dark hallway and kept my head low.

"Come here," he ordered, dog-earing his page and setting the book aside. I bit my lip and paced forward until I was standing in front of him. I remembered then that he always wanted me to look my best and thought maybe I should have tried to flatten my cropped mess of black hair, but at least my clothes were clean.

"Why did you steal?"

Uh. "I always steal," I responded quickly. "I don't have any money."

"You have been living here for almost a month. This is the first time this has happened, so I don't think much of that answer as an excuse."

I hesitated one moment too long, apparently.

"This is the first time this has happened, yes?"

I licked my lips. "Yes."

Dimitri tugged me close and swatted me sharply.

"Ow! Stop hitting me!"

"You're a horrible liar."

"Sorry!"

"You will be. Show me," he commanded, gripping me about the arm and pulling me toward the stairs.

My bedroom was the small, circular attic. The walls were papered with a fading green pattern and two floor-to-ceiling windows that opened horizontally. My rickety twin bed took up most of the space not occupied by my chest of drawers and nightstand. Some of my small toys were scattered about; most of these were things Dimitri had dug up from the extensive pile of things that had accumulated in his basement, like my set of hand-painted wooden blocks, now faded and scuffed, and the iron soldiers in a chorus line.

"Show me," he repeated, "and don't make it any worse by lying."

I was increasingly of the belief that it couldn't get any worse even if I wanted it to, but when he released me I went straight for the lowest drawer of my wardrobe and pulled out an open shoebox full of oddements: packs of baseball cards, sticks of gum, candy, small toys of the kind you can pick up in the grocery store check-out to make your kids stop screaming. I stared at the small mountain of things I'd accrued having never once felt ashamed for it, until now. Dimitri didn't even have to touch them – he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me to the bed, hauling me over his lap. Horrified, I tried to buck off, but he grabbed my hands and pinned them in the small of my back, using his other to swat me, just once, before I felt him recoil and remembered the magazine.

"You incorrigible whelp, you just made this a lot worse for yourself," he commented icily, yanking it free and tossing it aside. He continued to smack me soundly. I cried and pleaded, but he was relentless.

"No, stop!" I howled after a particularly nasty swat and the sting turned to a burn. "Please!" I squirmed in his lap, feeling all of two rather than twelve.

Miraculously, he did, but I continued to fight him. Struggling a bit, he grabbed at my ear and tugged sharply. "Be still," he ordered.

I could barely speak for the sharp pain, but I managed to get out a "then stop, it hurts too much!" which only earned me another sharp slap.

"You're not in any position to be giving orders, young lady. Though I sympathize with the way you used to live but as long as you are staying here you will not behave that way and I will not allow it. Do you understand?"

I nodded, sniffing. "I won't do it again..."

"I'm sure you won't. Now you've got twenty more coming. Can I release your hands or are you going to continue behaving like an impetuous brat?"

I suppose my lack of answer left him assuming I wouldn't, because seconds later I regained control of my arms and, unsure of exactly what to do with them but desperate for the smallest form of comfort, wrapped them around his leg and held on for dear life as he walloped me within an inch of it.

When my crying reached a sufficiently calm sniffle, he tugged me to my feet by my collar, shaking me firmly. "Pull yourself together. Crying like a toddler, Christ, stop it this instant or I'll give you a reason to continue."

I hurried to try and squelch the sobs rising in my throat.

"Honestly," he spat with a scoff. "Look at you. You deserved that and more."

My gut churned with all those guilts I hadn't realized I'd been suppressing, but I trampled them. "I'm s-sorry," I choked out.

"Indeed. Get into bed, little one. Tomorrow you're going to return all those things."

"Okay," I nodded sadly.

"What was that?"

I stiffened, still a bit frightened by his display of temper. "Yes, sir."


	6. Home

**Chapter 6 – Home **

The next morning I awoke earlier than I normally would have, mostly because my backside still stung a bit. I wasn't surprised to find myself alone when I went downstairs – during the daylight hours Dimitri kept to his room or worked in the basement. It was large house, the Manor, so he wasn't terribly restricted, but I knew I could avoid him by keeping to the kitchen and other well-sunlit areas. Granted, I'd seen him outside in the daytime before, so I don't think it hurt him, really, except that as a vampire he found it more comfortable in the dark.

Cautiously, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and ate it standing, rubbing at my sore rear. When that was done I left my bowl on the counter and returned to my room, pulling the windows open to let the cool spring air in. I changed into soft khaki capris and a thin jumper. On a second thought I retrieved the box of stolen items from where it had been abandoned on the floor and used my foot to push it toward the window. I took a seat on the floor and dangled my legs out into the open air. For a moment I just sat there, inhaled, and exhaled. Somehow I felt different than all the other days before this one – not guilty, as though my slate had been wiped clean.

Somberly I picked through the box. The things that had once given me pleasure to covet I now couldn't look at.

"Embry."

Startled, I turned sharply and looked over my shoulder. Dimitri stood at the base of the narrow winding staircase. I stood, anxiously brushing off my pants. "Yes, sir?"

He sighed. "We need to talk. First, don't call me 'sir' all the time, it makes me feel old."

I wanted to come back at this with the inherently obvious '_you are old,_' but decided I'd better not. "But you said-"

"That's what we need to discuss. Sit down."

It was still an order, but softer. I did so, scooting onto my bed and holding my stuffed bat in my lap.

"You've been living here for some time now-"

"Are you going to send me away?" I blurted.

His eyes hardened a bit as though he meant to tell me off for interrupting, but he didn't. Instead, he approached the side of the bed and took a seat. "No, Embry, I'm not going to send you away, despite the temptation. But there are going to be rules."

"Rules?"

"Do you want to continue living here?"

I thought about it. Thought about my life before, bouncing around foster families, running away. Hiding. I looked at Dimitri, who scared me to death but somehow cared enough to ask me this, who took me in and fed me and clothed me and I hoped maybe loved me, too. So I looked him square in the eyes and nodded.

"Then there will be no more running rampant around the house like you own the place. There will be rules and you will follow them."

I nodded.

That evening we returned to the supermarket and with minimal hesitation I returned the things I had stolen and the manager of the store elected not to press charges. Looking back on this, I think Dimitri may have had a hand in persuading him. On the drive home, he began to explain these new rules.

"First, you will keep a civil tongue in your head. You will be respectful to adults. Do you understand?"

As this had been my biggest problem, he tackled it first. "Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir," I corrected.

"Don't make me remind you again. Secondly, you will not lie to me." He pinned me with a hard glare. I nodded. He nodded, too, and returned his eyes to the road. "Thirdly, I have no problem with you exploring about the grounds, but if you intend to go anywhere you must tell me where and when you must return before nightfall, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"In addition to that, if you come home filthy you won't be allowed to eat your supper until you are clean. I am not your nanny and if you track any more mud into my foyer I will flay you alive."

We pulled into the driveway. I swallowed, getting out of the car. "Dimitri?"

He was already on the steps and turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you... are you going to spank me again?"

"Only if you give me cause," he relayed, looking up at the cloud-heavy sky. "Come on," he held out a hand. I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder at the wrought iron gate. Dimitri didn't waver. I think he understood. But I stepped up to the porch, just missing the rain beginning to fall. "Embry?"

I looked up.

"Welcome home."

That was the first time I saw Dimitri smile, and as I stepped over the threshold, I had distinct notions it wouldn't be the last.

** To Be Continued. **


End file.
